Kali. In the eyes of westerners Kali is a goddess dark of mind body and soul a mysterious goddess of death and destruction. However her story is far more complex and far-reaching, she cannot be easily fitted into a typical western narrative of good verses evil and in fact transcends both.
It is partly correct to say Kali is a goddess of death but She brings the death of the ego as the illusory self-centered view of reality. Nowhere in the Hindu stories is She seen killing anything but demons nor is She associated specifically with the process of human dying like the Hindu god Yama (who really is the god of death). It is true that both Kali and Shiva are said to inhabit cremation grounds and devotees often go to these places to meditate. This is not to worship death but rather it is to overcome the I-am-the-body idea by reinforcing the awareness that the body is a temporary condition. Shiva and Kali grant liberation by removing the illusion of the ego.
Kali is the embodiment of shakti female power. She emerges as an independent goddess around 1000 BCE and evolves as a controversial character: she is a scary bloodthirsty embodiment of destruction and the ultimate protector against evil. She is spiritual and bodily erotic and sexual and as such courageous.
Kali and other early female goddesses were the expression of nature. Like nature she has a destructive side as much as a benevolent one. In this she isn’t quite a full goddess but shares the traits of what are known as asuras - different supernatural beings who don’t always have the ability to keep their passions under control. As a female the power of creation rests with her, and as a female too so does the sheer force of nature.
The myth wants her to be bloodthirsty and uncontrollable while Shiva the male god is wise and in control. The reason being because this is just the male retelling of the story shaped by centuries of patriarchal values.